Can anything be done to stop people throwing litter from their cars? Keep Britain Tidy estimates seven out of every 10 pieces of litter in the countryside are thrown from vehicles, but currently before councils can take action they, as well as proving which car it came from, need to find out who actually threw the litter.

A proposed amendment to the localism bill, devised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England and to be tabled by Lord Marlefford, is that car owners should face an £80 fixed penalty notice for any rubbish thrown out of their vehicle, regardless of who does the chucking. If the person in charge of the car is not the litter lout, he or she could avoid paying the fine by identifying the real culprit.

But is that punishment enough to make people think twice? Not according to research by Your Cover insurance. It found that while 81% approved of the idea of litter louts being penalised, 34% wanted offenders to get at least three points on their licence.

This could result in an increase to car insurance premiums, according to Your Cover's Gareth McChesney: "If offenders were to receive points on their licence as a penalty, they could see their insurance premiums rise too – in the region of £40-£50 – which would be most unwelcome with motorists already facing steep rises in the cost of running a vehicle."

The research also found that 25% of those questioned are willing to confront litter louts – and the older they are the more feisty they get. While 31% of over-55s said they were prepared to confront someone, just 21% of 18-24-year-olds felt up to the task.

I have to admit I'm with the majority of wimps. I was walking along a road in Battersea the other day with a friend, behind a young teenage boy. He casually unwrapped a chocolate bar and dropped the paper on the ground. My friend and I looked at each other and grimaced, but we did nothing to stop him or point out the error of his ways (we did pick up the paper though).

Were we being cowardly? Yes, probably, but these days I won't even gesticulate to another driver from my car for fear of provoking road rage. And surely the prospect of facing fines or penalty points will make the risk of intervention-related aggression even worse?

Would you be prepared to have a go to stop litter louts ruining your environment? How would you react if someone gave you an £80 fine or three points on your licence for dropping an apple core out of your car window?